Mad Men Episode 7 Season 4 The Suitcase felt so connected to the first episode of the show for Don and Peggy. Many things that started there came back around. After Peggy's show of strength last week, this week we have her crying in the bathroom. Something I think she promised herself she would never do, in the first episode. The other thing was Don taking Peggy's hand. In the first episode Peggy tried to hold Don's hand and he pushed her away. Now they care about each other and know one another for who they are.
I think this episode underlines how much Don and Peggy have in common. Both of them feel like no one really understands them, neither of them feels they can be themselves, they both watched their fathers die, and of course they both have a secret. I don't think we'll see them become a couple. Though they have slept together now. Even if it was fully dressed on the couch in Don's office. They may become one anothers closest friend, and confidant. Maybe Peggy can get Don off the sauce.
I loved the scene when Don says that The only person (Anna) who really knew him had died and Peggy said that wasn't true. Also Don consoling Peggy on her break up with mark, saying "as Danny would say Don't cry over fish in the sea". But maybe the best thing in the episode was a shot of Don and Peggy on bar stools, in a bar listening to the Liston Ali fight. It's just their backs and everyone else in the bar is on their feet yelling at Liston "get up, get up!" they are both so still it felt to me like it was directed at them. Don't just lay their Don and Peggy get up and be yourselves.
The episode was full of information too. For example, we now know Dr Lyle Evans is the doctor who cut off Cooper's balls and who Cooper may or may not have had killed. I can't believe that Mrs Blankenship and Roger had a fling back in the day. I feel like Roger's book could be a series of it's own.
It was sad to see what a disaster Duck has become. Hopefully the fact that someone that messed up could get Don to literally say uncle, will wake Don up to how far down the rabbit hole he is. Pretty much everything in Don's life is screaming at him to get it together. Maybe next week...
I think that "The Suitcase" was perhaps the best episode since the first season. It managed to both move the arch of the series forward dramatically and to provide amazing character development at the same time. Quite a feat in a 50-minute episode that was essentially a two-person show. Too many amazing moments to begin to talk about without another viewing, but Peggy's "that's not true" to Don's "the only person in the world who really knew me," was perhaps the most important line uttered in the series. I just can't say enough about how good Elizabeth Moss is!
ReplyDeleteThe writing and the cast are stellar. Hopefully the rest of the episodes this season will be in this positive direction.
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